CH-53A    BuNo 153284 Killed in Action on 28 JUL 1968     Major Ralph Marion Dryden Jr. Aircraft Commander   Lieutenant John William "Bill" Zuehlsdorf Copilot   Corporal Eraste John Marceaux. Crew Chief   Corporal William "Bill" Stephen Clark Gunner   Corporal Gary Gene Gordon Gunner       Mission Information: I picked up Gary, Bill and Frenchy and put their remains in body bags. No enemy in sight.   They were only two minutes out of Marble Mountain Air Facility.  Gary and I were best friends, and it was crushing to me.  The wreckage was just past a paddy and I thought maybe they took fire from there.  There were a lot of dinks in the paddy but we took no fire.  I don’t know why they went down and there was no way I could tell because the wreckage was strewn pretty good.  It’s a mystery to me to this day.  I was on the scene two minutes after it happened.   Submitted byPaul Smith, Crew Chief, HMH-463, chase plane and recovery aircraft.

 

Remembrances about these Marines:

Bill Clark was twenty-one years old and from Eau Gallie, Florida.

Ralph Dryden was married, thirty-five years old and from Kailua, Hawaii.

Gary Gordon was nineteen years old and from Arlington, Texas.

Eraste "Frenchy" Marceaux was twenty-one years old and from Kaplan, Louisiana.

John "Bill" Zuehlsdorf was married, twenty-six years old and from Hubbell, Nebraska.

We welcome relevant remarks and/or photos of our squadron-mates who were killed in the above action.   We also welcome your comments on the above incident.  Please contact HMH-463's web developer  with your name; relationship to our squadron-mate(s) or the action above; and your contact information.

[ return to previous page ]